


The Nutcracker Gone Wrong

by DuchessRhea



Category: B.A.P, VIXX, f(x)
Genre: F/M, Fairy Tale Retellings, Modern Retelling, References to The Nutcracker
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-09
Updated: 2019-06-09
Packaged: 2020-04-23 05:57:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 10,355
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19144942
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DuchessRhea/pseuds/DuchessRhea
Summary: What happens when a typical Christmas story is repeated over and over again with only one guide?What if this time, things went wrong?Amber is no stranger to the story of the Nutcracker. When she gets sucked into the story herself, all she wants is to return home as soon as possible. This creates confusion and frustration in the eyes of the storyteller, who desperately tries to put the story back on track. Can Amber return home with causing too much detriment to the classic story we all grew up hearing?





	1. Prologue

“It is time.” The voice rang in the air. The speaker sat in a large gilded chair, staring down at a large book in his lap. The man was old, beady eyed, and had a beard and mustache that would make any proper English gentleman jealous.

 

The book in his lap displayed the first page of a very familiar Christmas tale, one that had been told for many years, one filled with magic and wonders. However, unlike a typical storybook, the pictures on the page were moving.

 

“I wonder what adventure we will have this time. I wonder who they will be…” the old man muttered under his breath. “I wonder whom I will be…”


	2. Act I

It was Christmas Eve, and the large house was bustling with activity. The entire household was getting ready for visitors. It was a yearly tradition for family to come spend the Christmas weekend at the Liu household. Amber’s mother always cooked a huge feast that left everyone’s mouth watering, and that was plenty of reason for them to come.

 

However, having guests over also meant that it was cleaning time.

 

“Amber, did you clean your room? Everyone's going to be here soon!” Amber groaned, looking around at the mess her room was in. No, she had not cleaned it. She hadn't even STARTED. Why did she have to clean her room? It's not like they'd a go in her room. Their house was massive, almost bordering the size of a mansion, so there was really no reason for anyone to go to her room.

 

Unless her cousins decided to invade. She belatedly remembered how nosy her two female cousins could get, and sighed in defeat. They were definitely going to invade her space.

 

She didn't have much time to wonder this before her door flew open and her little brother stomped in and collapsed on her bed. Well, on the clothes littering her bed.

 

“What the hell, Junhong!” she exclaimed.

 

He mumbled something into the bed, which sounded a lot like “Leave me alone,” before Amber pulled him up off of her bed.

 

“What's your problem?” she griped.

 

“That uncle is coming this year,” he muttered.

 

Amber paused, trying to place who he was talking about.

 

“Wait, you mean-”

 

“Yeah, him. He never comes to Christmas dinner, so why did he decide to come this year? It's so stupid!” Junhong complained.

 

Amber never really understood why Junhong disliked their uncle. Sure, he was extremely young, only being two years older than Amber herself (he was their mother's youngest brother, of 4 siblings), but Amber thought that was cool. He knew how to have fun. However, he never came to family get-togethers. He had a bad case of wanderlust, and spent most of his time traveling. Half the time, he was someplace that limited any sort of communication.

 

“I dunno why you're so uptight about him. He's cool,” she said.

 

“He weirds me out, okay? He always has this look in his eyes, like he's looking into your soul,” he replied, shuddering.

 

Amber rolled her eyes. “That all you, man. Whatever. Get out of my room so I can clean this pigsty,” she said, pushing him out the door and shutting it behind him.

 

An hour later, she emerged from a freshly cleaned room, sighing in satisfaction. She skipped down the stairs and peeked into the kitchen, which smelled absolutely amazing, before heading to the living room and plopping herself down in front of the large fireplace. A large Christmas tree stood next to it, rising up and almost touching the high ceiling.

 

It wasn't long before the doorbell rang. Amber's mother hurried to open the door, and almost immediately the loud chattering of voices filled the house as at least nine people came in. These were the families of two of her mother's siblings, including five of her cousins.

 

Amber didn't bother getting up, greeting people as they wandered into the living room, attracted by the Christmas tree and warm fireplace.

 

“Yo Amber, what's up?” Amber grinned as she fist bumped one of her favorite cousins, Wonshik. He was only a year younger than her, but they got along probably the best out of all of her cousins.

 

Right behind Wonshik was his older brother, Himchan, who gave Amber a wave before heading to another room.

 

It wasn't long before she and Wonshik were joined by their youngest cousin, Krystal.

 

“AMBER AMBER AMBER!” she shouted in glee. Krystal was quite attached to her, as the only female cousin close to her age the girl had (Amber’s older sister, Jackie, was the same age as Krystal’s older sister, Jessica, and had long since gotten married and moved out), and honestly Amber quite adored her.

 

She ruffled Krystal's hair and greeted her, “Hey you troublemaker. Have you been making hell for Taekwoon?” Taekwoon was Krystal’s older brother, and was the quiet one of the trio of siblings, while Krystal was the hyper one. She liked to tease her older brother to no end.

 

“He knows I love him,” Krystal replied, dismissively. Amber eyed the younger girl, before looking past her at said brother.Taekwoon rolled his eyes, gave Amber a small nod, and took a seat next to the fireplace. He reminded Amber a lot of a cat, the way he curled into himself.Wonshik left the girl to go and talk with his older cousin, who seemed pleased at the interaction. Amber couldn’t help but smile. Taekwoon had always been her favorite of the three. He wasn’t overbearing like Krystal, and wasn’t a busybody like Jessica.

 

Speaking of Jessica, Amber looked around for her, and Krystal glanced behind her, saying, “Jes isn’t coming. She’s joining her boyfriend’s family for Christmas. I think he’s gonna propose.” She squealed at that last part. Amber shrugged. One less nosy person.

 

Krystal proceeded to drag Amber upstairs, punching Junhong in the arm lightly in greeting as he passed them on the stairs. He bit out a cuss word at her, which only made her giggle, before marching to Amber’s room, making the older girl grateful she’d cleaned her room.

 

Once they were seated on her bed, Krystal glanced at the closed door, then dropped her voice to a whisper.

 

“I heard that THAT uncle is coming… is it true?” she whispered.

 

Amber groaned. Why was everyone so uptight about a family member joining them? It’s not like he was a stranger.

 

“What is with you and Junhong? Seriously, it’s getting kinda ridiculous,” she exclaimed.

 

“Oh come on, Amber. Everyone knows how weird he is. Dad is always saying how he picked up some weird habits and ideas and stuff because he traveled so much. It’s creepy!”

 

Amber thought that the stories and ideas he had were fascinating. What was so wrong with them?

 

“You guys are too much. I think he’s cool. I mean, come on, how cool is it that we have an uncle our age?” she tried to reason.

“That’s just weird. Jes and Jackie are BOTH older than him, and Taek and Himchan are his age exactly. That’s just not right,” Krystal complained.

 

Amber rolled her eyes, but was saved from answering when the doorbell rang and exclamations of delight were heard from her mother. That could only mean one thing: her mother’s favorite littlest brother had arrived.

 

Amber hopped off her bed, glancing back at Krystal, and said, “Just cuz he’s young doesn’t mean he’s not our uncle. Instead of trying to find some fault in him, maybe you should try actually having fun with him. He’s the coolest uncle I’ve ever known.”

 

With that, she walked out of her room and downstairs. She spotted her youngest uncle at the base of the stairs, and gave a shout of delight.

 

“Uncle Yongguk! I missed you!” She flew down the stairs and gave him a huge hug, causing him to chuckle with his low voice.

 

“Hey there Amber, how’s my favorite niece?” he said, ruffling her short hair.

 

“Perfect, now that you’re here,” she replied, a grin plastered to her face. “You better have some awesome stories this time!”

 

Uncle Yongguk just laughed. “Don’t worry, I’ve got something special just for you.”

 

This was going to be a fabulous Christmas.


	3. Act II

The day passed by quickly, with Amber and Wonshik spending most of the time listening to the stories Uncle Yongguk told them. Both of them found his adventures fascinating. Even Taekwoon stayed nearby, and Amber was almost certain he was listening intently, though pretending not to care at all.

 

After dinner, most of the adults left for a most secluded part of the house to catch up, while all of Amber’s cousins made their way upstairs to their guest rooms, bellies full, and the exhaustion from traveling finally setting in. Only Amber and Junhong remained downstairs, doing the dishes along with Uncle Yongguk, who didn’t care to join the other adults. He never really seemed to fit in, seeing as he was at least fifteen years younger than the closest sibling in age to him.

 

Once they’d finished cleaning up, Junhong made a beeline for his room, not wanting to be around his weird uncle for longer than necessary.

 

Uncle Yongguk and Amber, on the other hand, stayed in the living room next to the fireplace.

 

“Hey Amber, so I’ve been meaning to give this to you,” he said, handing her a small package. “I know it’s not Christmas yet, but I figured since it’s Christmas Even we could make an exception.”

 

He paused for a second, then added, “Also I didn’t have time to get anything for the other kids, so we don’t need them getting jealous, now do we?” he said in a conspiratorial whisper. Amber only grinned.

 

She took the package and unwrapped it carefully. Inside was a box with a miniature nutcracker. She looked at her uncle in confusion. She was too old for these things.

 

Seeing her confusion, he explained: “Something to add to your collection. Remember a while ago when you made me promise to bring you one thing from every new country I visit? Well, I finally went to Germany this time. These originate from there, so I thought it’d be a cool addition. You can’t exactly use it, since it’s a mini version, but it’s a knick knack, y’know?”

 

Amber vaguely remembered this promise, but that was years ago, and Uncle Yongguk had never bothered to bring her anything from the other countries he visited. What was so special about Germany? Honestly, she would have been keener if he’d brought something from Spain, which she knew he’d visited about three years ago. Like one of those hats matadors wore in bullfighting arenas. Now THAT would have been cool.

 

But still, he’d brought something for her, and only her, and she couldn’t exactly be ungrateful for that. “Thanks, Uncle Yongguk,” she said, doing her best not to sound disappointed.

 

He seemed to sense it, though, and said, “I know, it’s not your style, but the old lady I bought it from said there’s this legend surrounding the nutcracker-“

 

“Uh, if you’re gonna go into that one story about the nutcracker actually being a prince who was turned into one by a rat, that’s not really a legend so much as a story someone made up. You realize they made a ballet out of it, right?” she interrupted.

 

He paused, at a loss for words. “Well, errr. I mean, it’s a good story,” he stumbled.

 

“Eh, whatever. It’s just a story, and we know who made it up, so it’s not like it’s an old story or anything. Nice try, though,” she teased. He just gave her an uneasy smile.

 

“Anyways, it’s late, and I’m going to bed. G’night, Uncle Yongguk,” she said, getting up and heading to her room, the nutcracker in her hand.

 

Her uncle blinked, before hurriedly saying, “Why don’t you sleep in the living room? Who knows, maybe the nutcracker will come to life here, like in the story.”

 

Amber scoffed. “Uncle, fairy tales are just that, tales. Like that will ever happen.” She turned back and headed up the stairs to finally turn in.

 

Uncle Yongguk sat on the couch, thinking. Something was wrong.


	4. Interlude I

The old man paced back and forth, staring at the abandoned book on the armchair. This was wrong. All wrong. This is not how the story went. Not at ALL.

 

He’d been confused first when his main character looked like a boy, only to realize she simply had short hair. She was nothing like how she was supposed to be.

 

What had surprised him even more was he himself. He’d always been the older man (or woman) in the story. The wiser one, whom the children always listened to and respected. He wasn’t supposed to be this young! For goodness sake, he was barely older than her!

 

Where in the world was this story going?

 

And how was he supposed to get this story going if she didn’t sleep in the living room?

 

Everything was wrong. All wrong. He needed to do something.


	5. Act III

Amber woke up with a start. She blinked owlishly, grabbing her phone from the side table to check the time.

 

11: 47pm.

 

She groaned and threw her phone back on the table, stuffing her face back into her pillow. She’d been having such an amazing dream, too!

 

Amber tried to go back to sleep, but found she couldn’t. Why had she woken up in the first place? In her dream she’d been in a skate park, make rounds with some of her friends, when suddenly it had turned dark and the skate park was overrun by rodents, causing everyone to scatter in panic. She’d climbed a tree, hanging on for dear life when something peeled back her fingers, causing her to fall into the mass of swarming rodents, before she woke up.

 

Okay, so maybe it hadn’t been an amazing dream, but it had been cool up until the ending!

 

Sighing, she swung her feet over to the side of her bed, deciding to go make some hot chocolate downstairs. That should help her fall asleep.

 

She grabbed her phone again, barely glancing at the mini nutcracker she’d carelessly placed on next to it, and headed downstairs.

 

It didn’t take long to make the warm drink, as well as a plate of cookies, so she padded to the living room to enjoy it next to the tree. She frowned upon seeing that the fireplace was still lit. Wasn’t that dangerous? And she vaguely remembered it dying last night. Had Uncle Yongguk revived it? Whatever, it would die soon anyways.

 

Amber sipped on her hot chocolate, and she felt her drowsiness return. She set the mug down, and curled up on the couch, dozing off.

 

She failed to notice something strange as her eyes closed, and that was a light coming from a hole in the wall next to the fireplace. A mouse hole.

 

From it emerged some mice, which started scurrying around the room, nosing their way into different corners. Three found Amber’s half-eaten plate, and started devouring the treat. Before long, however, something made them freeze. They scurried back to the hole, but instead of going back in, they formed two lines, as if expecting someone, or something, to emerge.

 

And emerge, something did. A larger mouse, almost the size of a rat, emerged, glancing from side to side, as if surveying the area, then rolled back on its back legs, and started walking on two legs as if human. It held out its front paw to the side, and a crown was placed in it, which was then deposited on its head. In the other paw, a large scepter was placed.

 

The sound that came from its mouth was not what one would expect of a mouse; instead, it was a deep, male voice that sounded almost human.

 

“Find it, be quick about it, and let’s get the hell out of this godforsaken place,” it commanded. Immediately, the other mice stood up on their hind legs as well, and ran about the room as if human themselves. Clearly they were soldiers of some sort.

 

While the mice made their search, the crowned mouse strolled around the room. Upon spotting the figure on the couch, its expression darkened. Damn humans, why were they so big, anyways? If he could shrink them all, they would be at his own mercy. Oh, how that brought it glee. Master over the humans of this land. But no, it was on a mission tonight. If they didn’t find what they wanted, then this whole trip would have been a waste. But it was sure the object it sought was here. Its source was very reliable.

 

Minutes passed, with no results. In frustration, it kicked the side of the mug, causing the remainder of the hot liquid to spill onto it. It gave a large screech of pain, which woke up the figure on the couch with a start.

 

Awake again, Amber groaned, reaching her hand down to pick up her mug, only to come into contact with something furry. Her eyes widened, and she looked down in horror. Under her hand was a rat. With a shout she pulled her hand back and scrambled back into the couch. How did a rat get into here?

 

“Shoo, go away, you don’t belong here,” she shouted, trying to scare it away.

 

It looked straight up at her, and she blinked in confusion when she saw the crown on its head and the scepter in its hand. Then in registered that it was standing on two feet, and it left her gaping.

 

“What the hell?” she muttered. She must still be in a dream.

 

With this in mind, she reached down and grabbed the rat by its scruff (since it was a dream, it couldn’t hurt her, right?) and brought it up to her eye level.

 

“Huh, Uncle Yongguk’s story really much have gone to my head. Now that nutcracker story is part of my dreams?” she muttered to herself with a chuckle.

 

The rat in her hand, however, caught that, its eyes narrowing.

 

“So you’re the one who hid, it, I see,” it stated, causing Amber to drop it in surprise. Great, now it was talking.

 

It turned to the mice still searching, calling, “Why do I have to do all the work?” before turning back to the young woman, a gruesome smile coming to its face.

 

“Well if it won’t appear, it seems I’ll need to force it to come to me,” it said. Then it started waving the scepter in its hand, mumbling something under its breath. Next thing she knew, everything around her started growing in size, until she was the same height as the rat.

 

She was tiny now, and this rat was HUGE.

 

So she did the first thing that came to mind.

 

She punched it in the face and ran.


	6. Act IV

Upstairs in Amber’s room, Uncle Yongguk stood at the door, peering in. Noting Amber’s empty bed, he glanced at the mini nutcracker standing at the bedside. He picked it up, a grin coming to his face, before heading downstairs. He placed the nutcracker at the bottom of the stairs, before turning on his heel and going back upstairs. Things were back on track.

 

The nutcracker stood there for a second, before something changed in his painted eye, and he came alive. He turned his head, taking in his surroundings, before charging in the direction of the commotion in the living room.

 

What he arrived to, however, was not what he expected. He found his dreaded enemy, the mouse king, doubled over in pain, cradling his face, as his mice soldiers chased around a young woman. He stared in awe as every so often she stopped running and threw a kick at her pursuers, who, caught off guard, went down like dominos.

 

The mouse king glanced up at the sound of a new arrival, a twisted smile adorning his face, and remarked, “Ah, he finally joins us, at last.”

 

“How dare you invade this place!” the nutcracker shouted in anger. “You have no right to be in this world.”

 

“And you do, Nutcracker? You have just as much right as I do,” he bit back. “But no worries, you won’t be here for long. I just need to feed that fire over there some kindling, and I’ll be one my way home.”

 

Understanding the implication, the nutcracker let out a yell and drew his sword as he charged the mouse king. They sparred for a bit, sword against gold scepter, neither winning, before suddenly the mouse king froze in place, and collapsed.

 

Breathing heavily, the nutcracker looked down in confusion, then back up at the perpetrator. There stood a tiny Amber, wielding a large candy cane, which she had used to whack the mouse king over the head with. Those things were HARD. She backed away as the nutcracker circled the fallen mouse. The other mice, seeing their king do down, panicked and scurried over to retrieve the unconscious mouse, before retreating back into the mouse hole.

 

Relieved, Amber let out the breath she’d been holding.

 

However, a cough immediately caused her to bring up the candy cane in defense again as she whipped around to study the nutcracker.

 

Her eyes narrowed, not believing her eyes.

 

“Great, talking mice, scepters that shrink people, and now my own nutcracker coming to life?! WHAT KIND OF DREAM IS THIS?” she shouted to no one in particular.

 

The nutcracker hesitantly said, “Uh, I’m not sure about you, but this is no dream for me.”

 

Amber wasn’t expecting him to speak, and she paused, before asking, “Care to tell me what the heck is going on?”

 

The nutcracker thought for a second, then replied, “That was the mouse king. He’s been on a mission to kill me since-“

 

“Since he turned you into a nutcracker and took over your kingdom?” Amber interrupted.

 

The nutcracker was left stunned. How did she know?

 

“Oh my god, you mean to tell me I’m dreaming about the story of the nutcracker? Come on!” she grumbled, exasperated.

 

“Uh, this isn’t a dream,” he muttered, though she wasn’t listening.

 

“Can I please wake up now? This is not funny,” she demanded, pinching her arm over and over again until it was red with irritation.

 

Nothing happened. She cursed under her breath, before turning to him.

 

“Alright, clearly I’m gonna have to finish this damn story before I can wake up, so let’s get to it,” she said, her voice commanding.

 

The nutcracker was at a loss for words. “I… uhhhh…”

 

“Oh for the love of god,” Amber exclaimed, rolling her eyes. She turned to study the mouse hole that the mice had disappeared into, before glancing behind her at the nutcracker.

 

“That mouse king or whatever stole your kingdom, right? So if we just go where they went, we’ll get to the same place, right?” Without waiting for his response, she marched to the mouse hole that was now her height, and strode straight in without hesitation.

 

Finally recovering from his shock, the nutcracker scrambled to follow her in.

 

“Wait! It’s dangerous!” However, she paid no heed and just walked further in. She spotted a light in the distance and hastened her pace. Seeing this, the nutcracker broke into a run, and grabbed ahold of her arm just as she reached the source.

 

Next thing she knew, they were both falling into nothingness, the nutcracker’s hand firmly grasping her arm so as not to lose her.

 

Everything went black after that.


	7. Act V

The first thing that Amber registered was that she was lying on bumpy and uncomfortable ground. She opened her eyes and rolled onto her side, lifting herself up and glancing around her. 

 

Everything was grey. Furrowing her brows, she looked at the scenery. Normally grass would look green, and the sky would look blue, but instead, everything had a grey tinge that made everything look depressing. 

 

“Welcome to Siracucia.” Amber jumped at the nutcracker's words. 

 

“Why is it so… grey?” she asked hesitantly. 

 

“This is the cause of the mouse king's rule. Had I done things differently, perhaps I could have saved my people,” he lamented. 

 

“Okay, hold up. So from what I've seen, he has some weird magic staff that shrunk me to this size. So then if we just go steal that scepter we can reverse everything.” She started planning things out, muttering under her breath. 

 

“Woah woah woah hold up. That's not how we're supposed to do it. I was told to go find the Sugar Plum Fairy in order to defeat the Mouse King,” he said. 

 

Amber sighed. “Listen, do you know where to find her?” He didn't respond. “So it's a waste of time to go looking for her, when we can just go to the source. If we go there, it'll be a lot faster.”

 

She looked over at him. “By the way, you got a name or something? It's awkward calling you ‘Nutcracker’.” 

 

“Oh, uh. People call me-” 

 

“Oh come on, I already know who you are, you might as well tell me your real name,” she interrupted. 

 

He hesitated again, then mumbled “Hakyeon. My name is Hakyeon.”

 

Amber smiled. “Great. I'm Amber. Nice to meet you.” She put out her hand for a handshake, and he complied. It was strange shaking hands with wood. His wooden hand was smooth, and it should have been cold, but it was as warm as any normal human hand would be. 

 

“Alright, so we need to get to the mouse king's palace. It was probably yours before, right? So you should know where it is. Lead the way!” she urged him forward, and Hakyeon reluctantly complied. 

 

He supposed there was some sense in what Amber was saying, but there was still a part of him that felt that he should be searching for the Sugar Plum Fairy. For now, he'd follow along with the young woman, mainly because she seemed so confident.


	8. Interlude II

"No no no no NO!” The scream pierced through the room, it's owner on the verge of throwing the book onto the floor. 

 

“Why does she know the story?! She's not supposed to know the ending! She's not supposed to skip the whole story!”

 

He pulled at his hair, frustration clear as day on his face. 

 

This had never happened before. He was not prepared for this at all. If they didn't follow the storyline, what would happen to the story? 

 

He should have realized as soon as she recited the entire story to him that there was something very wrong. 

 

He flipped the pages of the book back, trying to see where it had started to go wrong. Finding nothing, he flipped the pages forward to see if he could see what would happen. He'd always been able to read to the end of the story. 

 

Confusion, then fear, crossed his face, when he flipped with pages to find them blank. Eyes wide, he desperately flipped until he reached the back cover. Everything was blank. 

 

Something had happened, something he had no control over, and that terrified him to no end.


	9. Act VI

Amber wasn’t sure what she was expecting when she arrived in this new world, but it certainly wasn’t to be sitting in a cage, hanging in the middle of a courtyard on display for absolutely no one but mouse soldiers that patrolled the area.

Not to mention that she was alone. She had no idea what had happened to Hakyeon, but she honestly hoped he was better off than she was.

What had happened?

Simply put, they’d managed to get to the castle relatively easily, without any real mishaps.

That really should have been their first warning.

But what really ticked Amber off was the fact that she’d just walked straight into the trap, and hadn’t even REALIZED it was a trap until the mouse king walked into the room.

What was the trap?

Simple. Upon arriving at the castle (in just under an hour, too), they’d circled the place, looking for the hidden passage that Hakyeon swore existed, and that only the royal family, himself included, knew existed.

It took him about half an hour to find the entrance, and within no time they were creeping through the lower levels of the castle, dodging guards as they made their rounds.

Their plan had been simple. Find the throne room, have Hakyeon distract the mouse king while she stole the scepter.

It would have worked out, too, if it weren’t for Jongup.

They’d found Jongup in dungeons as they were passing through. The young man had explained that the mouse king had imprisoned him for leading a group of protesters in dissent.

They’d freed him, and he’d been a huge help in finding the throne room, but that’s where it all went downhill.

Somehow Jongup managed to walk straight into a pair of guards, even though Amber and Hakyeon had both warned him to be careful. The young man was hard-headed, believing he could easily take on mice.

Thinking back, Amber could only shake her head. That’s how he’d been caught in the first place (from what she gathered of the story he’d told of his capture), and you’d think he would have learned his lesson. Apparently not.

Those pair of guards had managed to alert the rest of the guard before Hakyeon had managed to incapacitate them, and from then on, they were on the run. At some point Hakyeon was separated from Amber and Jongup, which was probably a good thing. At least he wasn’t caged like an animal like she was.

She and Jongup had managed to find the throne room, but it was completely empty. She’d wandered around, trying to find any sort of clues, and hadn’t realized Jongup was no longer with her.

That should have been another warning.

Next thing she knew, a giant cage dropped around her, scaring the life out of her, and the mouse king walked in, a smug smile on his face.

“That was far too easy. Like mice to a mouse trap,” he commented. “It would have been much better if that damn nutcracker were with you, but I guess you’ll do. He’s the type to be a knight in shining armor.”

Amber could only glare, and retort, “Of course that’s the only way you’d be able to win anything.”

She’d paused for a second, then added with a smirk, “How’s the bump on the head?” The mouse king had not been amused, turning on his heel and ordering his soldiers to string the cage up in the courtyard.

And so here she was, on display like she was some freak show. If she’d had a hair pin or something, she would have picked the lock of the door and taken her chances jumping to the ground.

She’d already tried numerous ways to escape, to no avail. She could only hope that Hakyeon, or maybe even Jongup, would be able to get her out this. Preferably without getting caught.

 

It annoyed her to no end, though. She was no damsel in distress, and she hated the fact that she had to rely on someone else to rescue her.

 

She glanced down, noting that she was receiving stares from some of the mice, and she bared her teeth at them, growling in annoyance. They scurried away in haste, leaving Amber confused. What were they so afraid of?

 

Once again, she studied the contraption she was trapped in. The chain that held up the cage was attached to a cement beam that jutted out into the courtyard. Suddenly Amber had an idea. The chain was rather long, and perhaps if she could swing the cage, she’d be able to get enough momentum to reach the landing of the second floor that overlooked the courtyard.

 

She scanned the courtyard to see if anyone was around, and to her relief, there was no one. She sat down at the edge of the cage, threading her legs through the slits, and began swinging her legs as if she was on an actual children’s swing. It didn’t take her long to get the momentum going, and before she knew it, the cage was swinging higher and higher. Having reached a good height, she stood up, and pressed her body to the side, reaching out her hand, in hopes that she could catch the railing of the terrace.

 

She failed numerous times, mainly because there was too much momentum, and every time she managed to touch the railing, the weight of the cage was too much and ended up tearing her hand away from it as it swung the other way. Finally, on the eighth try, she succeeded in grabbing hold of the railing.

 

Now that she was there, she paused before cursing under breath. She hadn’t thought about what to do afterwards. The slits of the cage, though big enough to maneuver her arm through, was just small enough to prevent her whole body from slipping through. So she was left hanging from the bannister, unsure of what to do next.

 

So imagine her relief when Hakyeon came bursting through the door at the end of the hallway. His eyes widened at the sight of her, and he hurried over to her.

 

“How did you get here?” he exclaimed.

 

Amber gritted her teeth, feeling her arms giving out from trying to hold onto the side of the landing while holding up the weight of the cage.

 

“Do. You. Mind. Helping,” she choked out.

 

He immediately scrambled to draw his sword, aiming at the lock of the cage, and smashed it, then took ahold of the cage so that she could scramble through the door and collapse onto the landing. He grunted and let go of the cage, sending it swinging back and forth.

 

“How did you hold on for as long as you did,” he exclaimed. “I could barely hold it for that amount of time!”

 

Amber rolled onto her back, breathing heavily. “Boxing,” she gasped out.

 

Hakyeon was speechless. This young woman not only could handle herself in a fight, but she also trained her body like that?

 

He’d never heard of a woman doing that, and he admired her for it.

 

Finally having recovered, she sat up. “Alright, let’s get the hell out of here. I dunno where Jongup went, but he can probably take care of himself. He’s a big boy. Let’s go find that ass of a mouse king and get that scepter.”

 

She stood up, and with resolve, marched straight back to the door Hakyeon had come from just minutes ago. She looked back, noticing he hadn’t followed.

 

“You coming?” she asked. Hakyeon shook himself, nodding as he followed her.

 

She was not an ordinary woman. Not at all.


	10. Interlude III

Perhaps it was time to give up on fixing this. This story refused to go the way it was supposed to, and despite all of his efforts to readjust the course, it always managed to find a way to change.

 

However, what he was most worried about was what would happen to all those in the story who hadn't made an appearance.

 

He was most worried about the Sugar Plum Fairy. She was supposed to be an integral part of this story, yet Clara had ignored it all and forged her own path.

 

He had to do something, at least for her. She didn't deserve the fate he suspected would be hers should she not appear in the story.

 

It was his duty to salvage what he could.

 

His gaze fell back on the book, which still lay on an empty page. Picking it up, he sat back down in the gilded chair, and flipped the pages back to the most recently filled one.

 

A satisfied smile appeared on his face.

 

“Ah, yes, I forgot about this. Of course they will not change; the only mistake of this story is Clara. The others have not changed. They will be the guide,” he murmured. The relief on his face was evident.

 

All would be well, after all.


	11. Act VII

Amber honestly didn’t know what to do anymore. They were roaming the halls of the castle, but she didn’t really know what to look for anymore. Yeah, they needed that scepter (or so she thought; it made sense), but what about after?

 

Hakyeon seemed to sense something was wrong, and looked over at the young woman by his side.

 

“You are uncertain as to what will happen next, do you not?” he asked.

 

Amber hummed, before replying, “To be quite honest, not really. I mean, what do we do after we’ve got the scepter? That’s the thing that shrunk me, so it should make me big again, but how do I get home?”

 

Hakyeon let this question simmer for a bit before saying, “I still believe that the Sugar Plum Fairy is the one who will aid us in our quests. Perhaps the scepter will indeed help, but I suspect that she is the one to help you find your way home.”

 

Amber paused, thinking it over. Perhaps he was right, but that also meant that they would have to go on a quest to find her. She didn’t want to spend time doing that. Not when they were already at the heart of the enemy’s lair.

 

Relenting, she asked, “Do you have any clues about where she could be? We can’t just search blindly. If you’ve been searching for her, someone must have told you something.”

 

Hakyeon looked down. “She was the ruler of the Land of Sweets, but the Land of Sweets was destroyed by the mouse king once he took over the kingdom. She went into hiding, and no one has heard of her for years. I’d heard rumors that her cavalier had recently emerged, so if we were to find him, perhaps he could lead us to her.”

 

“Great! So then where is this cavalier?” she demanded.

 

“I… do not know. The last I heard he was in a land far away, and when I ventured there, it turned out to be your land. I found no traces when I was there. It became a dead end.” The resignation was clear on his face.

 

Amber groaned in frustration.

 

They turned a corner, and suddenly she was pushed back and up against the wall by Hakyeon, who pressed himself close to her.

 

A moment later she heard why: a group of mice soldiers stomped down the stairs just around the corner. Amber peaked around the corner, and her eyes widened when she saw the chained figure standing in the middle. The young man looked worse for wear, his whole face bruised and bloodied. He barely supported himself as the mice dragged him along. His legs finally gave out behind him, and he collapsed to the ground, causing the entire troop to come to a halt.

 

The mouse leading the soldiers turned around in annoyance.

 

“Hurry it up! His Majesty said this one was to be put in maximum security immediately,” he ordered, disdain lacing his words.

 

He turned on his heel and kept walking. The soldiers hoisted the young man up, physically dragging his unconscious body behind them.

 

Amber looked up at the nutcracker, the horror in her eyes clear. However, she was surprised to see that instead of the same horror, his expression was one of deep thought.

 

“Is something the matter?” she asked hesitantly.

 

“It is curious that the young man is still alive. The mouse king likes to transform disobedient subjects into inanimate objects, so for this one to still be human…” he trailed off, lost in thought.

 

Amber immediately understood his train of thought. “He has information that the mouse king needs,” she finished. He nodded.

 

“Well then, we can’t let that thing get his hands on any info he could use. Let’s go follow them!” She pushed herself past Hakyeon, and slowly followed the sound of the troops from a distance, the nutcracker close behind.

 

It wasn’t long before she heard the soldiers coming back their way. She pushed Hakyeon around another corner, tucking herself into him, as the mice trudged by and veered into another hallway. After a few moments, she crept around the corner and headed in the direction they’d come from.

 

It wasn’t long before they reached a set of three large doors locked and bolted from the outside. She unbolted the one on the right, and found that it was unlocked. Pushing it open, she found it empty. She went to the middle door, finding it also unlocked, and also empty. That meant the third door was the one. However, to her surprise, it was also unlocked and empty.

 

She turned to gape at Hakyeon, who had only watched. “They’re all empty. But it’s a dead end!” she fumbled.

 

Hakyeon shook his head. “It is not a dead end. There are passages and doors invisible to the naked eye. You must know where to look for them,” he explained, before entering the middle cell. He walked to the center of the room, and kneeled down. He felt around for a second before one of the stones shifted under his weight. He pressed down, and it seemed to trigger something, and a section of the wall opened to them.

 

He stood up, and entered the opening, Amber following closely behind. The hallway turned into stairs, which lead them below to another series of ten cells.

 

These looked much more like jail cells to Amber, and to her surprise, she found that over six of the cells were occupied. However, as she walked past them, she realized they were only statues. They found him in the last cell, still unconscious. He was leaning against the wall just out of reach.

 

“Hey!” Amber called, trying to awaken the young man. He didn’t respond. She looked over at the nutcracker, unsure of what to do. Hakyeon unbuckled his scabbard and reached through, nudging him with it. After a few more nudges, the young man seemed to stir, groaning in pain. His eyes opened, slightly unfocused, as he took in his surroundings. His head lolled to the side at another nudge from Hakyeon’s scabbard, and he took in the two two kneeling next to his cell.

 

“Who’re you,” he slurred.

 

“We wish to know the same. Why has the mouse king spared you?” Hakyeon demanded.

 

The young man gave a gravelly laugh. “Why would I tell you? For all I know you could be spies for that damn rat,” he spat.

 

“Oh hell no! That disgusting thing has been the biggest asshole. He shrunk me to this size with that stupid scepter of his, and has been trying to kill Hakye-” her words were cut off by the nutcracker’s wooden hand covering her mouth, but the young man had caught on to what she had been about to say.

 

“Hakyeon? The long lost prince?” He let out a laugh. “Well of course he’d want to get rid of that useless prince. It’s the only thing standing in his way.”

 

Amber looked over at Hakyeon, realizing that he did not want others knowing who he was.

 

The young man sighed. “If only he had been around when my love was taken from me, perhaps she might have escaped. But that fool let this whole kingdom down by letting the mouse king take over. He’s the reason my homeland was destroyed,” he said venomously. “And he’s not even here to fix it anymore! He got himself killed!”

 

“That is not true!” Amber jumped at the exclamation from Hakyeon. The young man seemed startled as well. “The prince is still alive! He has been searching for a way to save this kingdom!”

 

This was received with a scoff. “And how would you know this? You’re an animate nutcracker. Only the mouse king’s scepter has the power to conjure that type of black magic,” he accused.

 

Amber sighed, realizing this was going nowhere.

 

“Yo, listen here,” she butt in, cutting off whatever Hakyeon was about to respond with. “He,” she pointed at Hakyeon, “was turned into a nutcracker by the mouse king for opposing him. I,” she pointed to herself, “was shrunk to this size because I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. We’re both in this mess because of that rat. Get it?” The young man could only stare.

 

“And that prince or whatever? Why the hell would this be his fault? Do you think he stood a chance when the mouse king had that scepter? You say it’s black magic. All the more reason the prince couldn’t fight against it! So why would it be his fault? He’s still alive, I’ve seen him. We’re on a mission to steal that scepter, so I can go back home, and he,” she pointed at Hakyeon again,” can return to being human. Then we can help the prince defeat the rat and revive the kingdom.”

 

Amber sucked in her breath, finally finished with her rant.

 

The silence in the room was deafening, and neither of the men were willing to break it, so finally Amber sighed. “We came down here because we suspected the mouse king wanted information from you, something important. That’s the only reason you’d still be alive.”

 

Hakyeon finally broke in. “We’re searching for the Sugar Plum Fairy. The prince told me that if we found her, she’d be able to help us,” he said quietly.

 

The young man let out a quiet breath. “My Luna,” he whispered. “You are looking for my Luna,” he stated louder.

 

Amber let this sink in, then said haltingly, “Is that… the Sugar Plum Fairy?”

 

The young man stood up, puffed out his chest, and stated, “I am Taemin, cavalier and lover of Luna, the Sugar Plum Fairy. How may I be of service?”


	12. Act VIII

Amber was shocked. How could they have been so lucky to find the very person they were looking for, so soon after she had found out about him?

 

“How did you end up down here? Aren't you supposed to be, like, inseparable from her?” Amber asked.

 

Taemin's face was grave. “When the Land of Sweets was destroyed by the mouse king's army, we went into hiding. For two years we moved around, certain that the mouse king had spies everywhere looking for us. And he did. We grew careless, and thought he had given up his search. So we settled down in the Gingerbread Village, and stayed there for a good six months. Then the mice attacked. They destroyed the whole village, and captured half of the village. In an attempt to rescue the villagers, Luna was captured herself when the mouse king himself appeared. I could do nothing to rescue her.”

 

The grief in his eyes made Amber's heart hurt. She had never experienced a love as strong as this, and couldn't even imagine the hurt he was going through.

 

“That was three months ago, and ever since I've been trying to gather supporters from our homeland to rescue her. I know she is alive; my heart still beats, and my feet still dance. If she were not alive, my heart would freeze over, and my feet would lose its mobility. But they have not, so I know she is alive. I believe the mouse king has entrapped her somewhere in the castle. I was caught yesterday attempting to enter his treasure room. I am almost certain he entrapped her in one of his magical objects.”

 

The Sugar Plum Fairy was in the castle? Amber glanced over at Hakyeon, disbelief crossing her features. She was just under their noses, and they hadn't even realized it.

 

However, something didn't quite fit, and the nutcracker seemed to sense the same, commenting, “But why hasn't he turned you to stone, like others? If he already has the Sugar Plum Fairy, what information could you possibly have that he wants?”

 

Taemin paused, glancing at the stairwell, wary if anyone coming in on them.

 

“Before she was captured, Luna entrusted the location of the Fountain of Youth to me. It was a royal secret that only the royal family of the Land of Sweets knew. I suspect that the mouse king was unable to divulge the location from Luna, which is why I am only imprisoned,” he explained.

 

Oh great, yet another factor. A fountain of youth? Amber could only assume that meant the mouse king sought immortality.

 

“Well, let's not let him get that info, okay? We need to get out of here. Since we know she's here, maybe if we had the scepter, it could reveal her location.”

 

With that, she got to her feet, grabbed Hakyeon sword, and broke the chains that bound Taemin.

 

“Come on, we've dilly dallied for too long. They've probably noticed I'm not sitting in that cage anymore,” she said hurriedly, pushing the nutcracker and cavalier towards the stairs.

 

They escaped the area without any hassle, and it didn't take long for them to reach the throne room yet again. This time Amber was more wary, having walked straight into a trap before because it was too easy.

 

Sure enough, they arrived to a horde of mice soldiers waiting for them. The mice charged, and Hakyeon drew his sword, while Taemin opened wings Amber hadn't even know he had, using speed to barrel through the horde, swiping at mice left and right with a dagger that appeared out of nowhere. Amber could only stand back, as she had no weapon, and did not want to get in the way of the clashing blades. Every so often a mouse would run at her, and she'd duck and throw a punch or kick at it.

 

It took some time, but eventually they defeated the mice, breathing heavily. Amber stumbled to the doors, pushing it open. To her surprise, on the other side she found Jongup standing in front of about six more mice. To the side, a pile of wood was carefully placed.

 

“Jongup! Where have you been?” she demanded. She was still slightly annoyed that he'd disappeared right when she'd been captured.

 

He turned to face her, a smile that looked eerily familiar spreading. “There you are! I've been wondering what happened to you.”

 

She heard Hakyeon and Taemin stumble in behind her, ready to fight more, but paused at the sight of Jongup.

 

“Ah, you found the cavalier, perfect,” Jongup added. “Hopefully he told you everything I need to know.”

 

What?

 

Suddenly Taemin leapt forward, a growl on his lips as he charged Jongup.

 

“He's no human, this is the mouse king!” he shouted in fury.

 

Disbelief crossed Amber's features. How was this the mouse king? He was human, for god's sake!

 

Jongup cackled as he dodged Taemin and let the mice behind him take over. He walked over to the throne and drew the scepter from behind it.

 

“Ah, what a fun charade all this was,” he commented gleefully. “So easy to fool, you are, if one has a human face.”

 

Amber glared at the jibe. She should have suspected something when he disappeared right before she was caught.

 

Taemin had pretty much defeated the mice, but collapsed from a wound one of them had managed to land on him. In his place, Hakyeon charged forward to fight Jongup.

 

The scepter in his hand transformed into a sword, and the piercing clang of metal on metal reverberated throughout the room.

 

It became clear that the fight would last too long, so Jongup raised the sword in the air, allowing it to transform back into a scepter. Before Hakyeon could attack, Jongup had transformed back into a mouse, and aimed the scepter at the nutcracker. Hakyeon froze,the power from the scepter keeping him immobile. The mouse king stalked forward.

 

“It's time I set this pile of kindle aflame. It's long overdue,” he snarled. He lit the pile of wood on fire, and hit the nutcracker over the head, causing him to fall backwards in front of the burning pile. He remained immobile.

 

However, before the mouse king could advance on his prey, he was stopped short by a sword to his throat. He whipped around, a snarl gracing his face. Amber stood there, gripping a sword she had retrieved from on of the fallen mice.

 

“What, did you forget about me?” she asked, a smirk on her face.

 

“What can a girly like you do, hmm? Can you even handle a sword like that?” he taunted.

 

Amber gripped the sword tighter. “You want the truth? I've never held a sword in my life,” she snapped. “But I do know how to handle a baseball bat.” Without giving him time to question what a baseball bat was, she swung the sword as if it were exactly that, causing the mouse king to duck with a yelp. Amber let go of the handle, letting it go flying over his head, and tackled him.

 

The mouse king was not expecting this, and went down fairly easily, dropping his scepter in the process. Amber lunged for it at the same time as he did, but she shoved it away, causing it to skid over the floor until it reached Taemin.

 

Taemin reached for the scepter, grabbing a hold of it, then let out a gasp.

 

“Luna…” he whispered. He grasped the scepter tightly in both hands, his eyes tightly shut, and slammed the gem that was embedded at the top on the ground, cracking it. Light spilled from it, and everyone covered their eyes in pain, including Hakyeon, who had been freed from his paralysis.

 

Once the light dissipated, Amber scrambled to her feet, grabbing the sword shed flung earlier and keeping it pointed at the mouse king, who had not yet recovered. She glanced back at the nutcracker and cavalier, and was shocked to see a beautiful woman kneeling in front of Taemin, embracing him.

 

Hakyeon had recovered by this point and had his sword pointed at the mouse king as well.

 

The woman stood, helping Taemin to his feet, and supported him as they made their way over.

 

Hakyeon was the first to break the silence. “You are the Sugar Plum Fairy,” he stated.

 

The woman inclined her head. “Indeed I am, your highness,” she replied, then dipped into a curtsy. Taemin looked over at the nutcracker in surprised, not expecting him to be the missing prince.

 

The Sugar Plum Fairy, or as Taemin had called her, Luna, turned to face the Mouse king, who was glowering up at them.

 

“You dared to take over this kingdom, then had the audacity to destroy mine. You do not deserve mercy,” she said, her voice commanding. She lifted her hand, and glittery dust fell from her palm to the mouse king, who scrambled to get away, obstructed by the swords Hakyeon and Amber held to his throat.

 

“I hereby take from thee all power of speech and mobility. From now and forevermore you and all the mice who followed you shall become normal mice, never to bother humans again.”

 

Immediately the mouse king started glowing, then shrinking, until he was the size of a normal mouse. His crown clattered to the ground, and the mouse scurried off into a hole in the wall. All around them the mice soldiers fared a similar fate.

 

Amber dropped her sword immediately, her arm sore. Hakyeon picked up the crown, looking at it in sadness. “This was my father's,” he quietly murmured.

 

“Prince Hakyeon, do you wish to return to your true self?” Luna asked.

 

Hakyeon's response was immediate. “Yes, absolutely.”

 

“Very well,” she responded. Lifting her hand, she let similar dust fall on him. Golden light surrounded him and before their eyes, he transformed into a handsome young man, with sun-kissed skin and deep, dark chocolate eyes that seemed to penetrate right through her.

 

Taking the crown from his hands, Luna placed it upon his head, curtsying again, this time Taemin following her lead with a low bow.

 

Amber stood awkwardly to the side, unsure of what to do. Luna turned to her, however, and looked her up and down.

 

“You do not belong in this world. Your role in this story has much changed, and it is time for you to return home before something dreadful happens.”

 

Amber opened her mouth to protest that no, she wasn't like that at all, but closed it, realizing that yes, she did not belong here.

 

“Can you send me home, then?” she asked.

 

“I can, indeed. However, there are consequences to not following your destined path. I must take all memory from you of this place. It will be nothing but a dream when you return.”

 

Amber nodded in agreement. She honestly didn't care if she remembered or not.

 

“Very well. Make your goodbyes, then,” Luna instructed.

 

Amber turned to Hakyeon, and awkwardly waved. “Uh, bye, I guess. It was kinda fun? When we weren't in life or death situations? Sorta?” She scratched her head, and Hakyeon laughed.

 

“It was a pleasure meeting you, Amber. I have never met a woman as vivacious and spirited as you. I will be sad to see you go,” he said.

 

“Yeah, well, home, y'know? Kinda important…” What else was she supposed to say?

 

She turned to Taemin, and waved. “I'm glad that you found her,” she said. Taemin only smiled.

 

“Thank you Amber,” he said quietly.

 

Amber turned back to Luna, giving her a nod. Luna raised her hand, and the golden dust surrounded her.

 

Within seconds, all was black.


	13. Act IX

Amber awoke to someone shaking her lightly. She swatted at the hand, mumbling her annoyance. A low pitched laugh made her open one eye into a squint. Seeing that it was Uncle Yongguk, she sat up immediately, trying to rub the sleep out of her eyes.

 

“Mornin’” she mumbled.

 

Uncle Yongguk chuckled as he ruffled her hair. “Good morning, sleepyhead. What adventure did you go on last night that you ended up in here?” he asked playfully.

 

She looked around her, realizing she was in the living room. She shrugged. “I woke up last night and couldn’t sleep so I came downstairs to get some hot chocolate. I guess that knocked me out. I don’t remember falling asleep,” she replied.

 

Uncle Yongguk paused, his smile freezing. “Nothing happened last night? No dreams? Nothing peculiar?” he persisted. Amber just furrowed her eyebrows.

 

“No? Should there have been? I mean, I think I had a dream or something that was wild, but I don’t remember what it was about,” she said.

 

Uncle Yongguk looked almost confused, but Amber had no idea why. She wasn’t given time to think about it before she heard a barrage of footsteps tumbling down the stairs. Moments later Junhong, Krystal and Wonshik flew into the room, making a beeline for the presents under the tree.

 

“Oh my god you guys, chill. The presents will be there even if you don’t rush,” Amber laughed.

 

“Yeah yeah yeah, whatever. Says the person who slept in the living room so she’d be the first person here,” Junhong retorted, sticking his tongue out at her. She lifted her fist up threateningly, but he ignored it.

 

Uncle Yongguk watched on in amusement, though it still looked as if something troubled him. Amber shrugged. It had nothing to do with her. She got off the couch and joined her brother and cousins at the tree.

 

Not too long after Himchan and Taekwoon joined them, followed by the adults.

 

As the day passed, Amber felt as if she was forgetting something, but couldn’t place it. It irked her all day, and by the time dinner came around, she thought she was losing it.

 

Later afternoon rolled around and Amber was curled up next to the fireplace, absorbing the delicious heat, when she overheard Uncle Yongguk talking to her mother from the kitchen.

 

“I invited a friend over for Christmas dinner, I hope that’s alright,” he started. “It’s someone I met in my travels. Turns out he lives a few train stops away, and he’s alone, so I figured he might enjoy spending Christmas with others.”

 

“Of course, Yongukkie!” her mother exclaimed. “Especially if he’s alone! No one should spend Christmas alone.”

 

As if on cue, the doorbell rang. Uncle Yongguk went to get it, and Amber assumed it was his friend, judging from the way they greeted each other.

 

It wasn’t long before they came into the living room, and Amber glanced up to greet the new guest, and froze.

 

Yongguk’s friend had sun-kissed skin and deep, dark chocolate eyes that seemed to penetrate right through her. Something about him was so familiar, but she couldn’t place what.

 

“Hey Amber, this is my friend, Hakyeon. He’ll be staying for dinner,” Uncle Yongguk told her, and she nodded, though not really paying attention.

 

Hakyeon gave her a little smile, and she automatically smiled back.

 

Her eyes followed him as Uncle Yongguk led him out to give him a tour, and when Hakyeon turned to glance back at her, something inside her fluttered.


	14. Epilogue

The old man sighed in satisfaction. He had succeeded. Albeit in a completely different way than he was use to, but it was the same end result.

 

 

He wasn’t sure if he could handle another cycle like this one. He prayed that next time it would return back to normal. He was too old for changes like these.

 

The amount of effort he’d had to put into this was ridiculous. Then again, maybe that was why it had been so different. He’d become so complacent and lazy that the author decided it was time to change things up.

 

Yes, that must be it. Just blame the author.

 

After all, it was the author who created the story. He merely oversaw it.

 

Whatever it may be, all was well.

 

He shut the book, leaned his head back and closed his eyes, ready to rest until it was time to tell the story yet again.


End file.
